The invention concerns a device for sharpening blades on knives, scissors and the like with a handle at one end of which a hard metal tool is disposed and with a protective bead disposed between the hard metal tool and the handle. The sharpening of knives or the like using hard metals has been known in the art for some time. Instead of hard metals, ceramic materials are also utilized having a hardness similar to that of hard metal, however, being more brittle. Since sintered materials such as hard metal or ceramic are very expensive, only relatively small sintered material cutting plates are used in the sharpening devices and must be clamped in a holding device. Mass produced cutting plates made from sintered material are utilized for milling tools, lathe tools and the like. The sharpening of blades on cutting devices such as knives, scissors, scythes and the like has, up to this point in time, been effected using whetting rods or devices (EP 0431273) having a wedge-shaped gap at which a plurality of rounded grinding elements are disposed. In the latter, the blade to be sharpened is inserted into the wedge-shaped gap and guided past the grinding elements in the cutting direction. Such a "knife sharpening device" can normally only be used for a limited size range of knives and cutting devices. In addition, the differing diagonal slanting of the blades associated with differing cutting types is fixed with such knife sharpening devices and cannot be changed.
Also known in the art is a knife sharpener (DE G 93 06 427.6) with which a hard metallic tool is molded onto a plastic handle. A peripheral bead is provided between the hard metal tool and the handle for reducing risk of injury. Such a knife sharpener has the disadvantage that the hard metal tool cannot be detached from the handle. In addition, the geometry of the hard metal tool leads to a cramped working posture.